“I can see as if outside of myself, a little girl unafraid, dancing under the rushing water of the falls, her hair an untamed bushy fan, flecked with diamonds of water twinkling in the sunlight. She is smiling, eyes closed, face to the sun, nostrils wide inhaling the fresh scent of water on stone. She is a fierce girl like her mother. Sometimes I reach for her in my dreams, but she’s cautious, like a deer on the edge of the woods, turning to look at me right before she darts away.” —excerpt from Candy, Lies & Larceny
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Cija's Quips 
My suggestion is that you buy this book, so you can say “I knew her when…”, after she becomes wildly famous.
Sonic Memories is book of personal vignettes, real life stories that span from childhood to adulthood, and all the phases in between. Its overarching theme touches on the quest to reclaim the author’s “inner fierce girl”, so present during those burnt sienna Polaroid days of youth, but harder to capture in the dog days of adulthood. The theme of place, both where and when, features heavily as well.
Beginning with the ingeniously titled “Candy, Lies & Larceny” we glimpse a childhood habit that is described as both wretched and adventurous, depending on whom you talk to. These (universal) youthful mistakes paint a girl both daring and courageous, traits which will come in handy later in adulthood. In “Midnight Run to Mexico” Cija takes us on a cross country journey, with a veritable Route 66 of sights, tastes and feelings. When she dives into her life in a new state, as a young adult, the theme of “anything can happen” will likely resonate with all readers, sure to have felt like that during their early 20’s.
There are stories which will give the reader emotional pause as well. In “Why Don’t You Act Black?” we see a small moment in time, with a big ripple effect, calling into question serious issues of identity and belonging, and the resulting emotions when someone questions your authenticity. “Sonic Memories” is a beautifully written essay with a focus on the soundtrack of the author’s youth, leading up to a terrible tragedy and the impact of the resulting silence; “It was as if sound had been removed from our property; there was a deep stillness, like the eerie kind of a ghost town you know was once bustling”.
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